The Demon Within
by lighthawkdemon1
Summary: After reading the Forbidden Scroll, the seal of the Kyuubi no Yoko on Naruto's body weakened enough for the bijuu to come forth and influence it's host to steadily seek vengeance for it's imprisonment. The only question is who is it seeking vengeance on?
1. Awakening the Demon

**Naruto**

_Disclaimer: This episode of Naruto is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Naruto. "Naruto" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1999-2006 Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc. Naruto is a trademark of Viz Media LLC. All rights reserved._

_Note: This series contains content from both the manga and the anime and takes place shortly after the very first chapter/episode of Naruto and will have our main protagonist acting a bit OOC for the rest of the series. Read to discover how and why._

**The Demon Within  
Number 1:  
Awakening the Demon**

'_Naruto's thoughts_'  
'**The Kyuubi's thoughts**'

Uzamaki Naruto sat down in front of the mirror in his room and gazed in admiration at the Hitai-ate Konoha leaf headband Iruka-sensei had given him earlier, proof of his passing the ninja entrance examination. '_I did it!_' he thought to himself. '_I'm finally a shinobi and one step closer to becoming the greatest Hokage who ever existed!_' He absentmindedly rubbed his stomach as he felt it become a little tingly. Ever since he was a kid, the strange tattoo-like object he had always had on his stomach would burn or tingle from time to time, sometimes it would continue for an entire day. Since it had happened randomly, Naruto never gave it a second thought. The young recently made shinobi rubbed his stomach a little harder as the tingle did not go away as fast as it normally did in the past.

Later that night as Naruto slept, the 'tattoo' on his stomach, which in reality was a sealing spell that kept the feared nine-tailed fox spirit from coming forth and wreaking havoc once more, had begun to glow slightly. Inside the boy's psyche, a second presence started to make itself a new home there, a presence that had patiently awaited twelve long years for this moment. Though it had not been fully freed, this second presence had more than enough freedom to affect the young boy it was sealed inside…freedom enough to influence the child and have him enact out the one thing it had desired since it was sealed away…_REVENGE_!

Now all it needed was a little time, a day, perhaps two, to prepare both itself and young Naruto for the future and the big plans that would soon be unfolded.

* * *

The next day as Naruto goofed off and interacted with Konohamaru, the Hokage's young grandson, the recently awakened presence of the demon fox inside of him strengthened itself while it watched it's young vessel. It instantly had a liking for the boy. Naruto had inside of him a great deal of pain and anguish because of the treatment he received from almost the entire Konohagakure village and that could be skillfully steered towards it's own needs. The boy also had a flair for trickery and mischief…one area that all foxes excelled in. Yes, it could not have been sealed inside a better candidate than this child.

Throughout the day as the young shinobi befriended young Konohamaru and helped him to mature a bit and stand up to his tutor Ebisu-sensei, he had an uncomfortable sense that something was…off somehow, though he couldn't discover what that was. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary despite the fact that this had been a day where his stomach had been tingling and burning all throughout the day. Naruto shrugged it off as just nerves since he would be officially staring his ninja training the following day.

As Naruto drifted into a peaceful slumber that evening, the spirit of the nine-tailed fox enacted out the first step of its masterful plan. With some gentle prodding deep inside the boy's psyche, it made first contact. '**Naruto**,' it calmly began in a deep voice.

'_Wha…_' the psyche of the young shinobi responded while looking around the endless darkness in surprise, '_who are you? What are you doing here?_'

'**Fear not young cub**,' it answered, '**I am not here to harm you. To answer one of your questions: I have always been here. Only just recently has the seal upon me been loosened and allowed me to finally speak to you.**'

Inner Naruto quirked up an eyebrow in obvious confusion. '_What are you talking about? I don't understand_,' after a moment, he added, '_and why did you call me cub?_'

A deep chuckling reverberated seemingly from everywhere and nowhere at once. '**No, you would not understand would you? Your entire village has strived to keep my existence within you a secret from you…though I believe the deceptive Mizuki revealed what was kept hidden from you no more than a day ago.**' All of a sudden, the demon fox appeared in Naruto's psyche…though it severely toned down its appearance as to not frighten his unwilling host. It appeared to the young shinobi as nothing more than an ordinary harmless average sized fox with red eyes and nine long flowing tails. '**It was I young cub,**' it spoke though it's mouth never moved, '**the Kyuubi. The being that was sealed within you when you were nothing more than a newborn.**'

'_You?!_' the shinobi's psyche asked incredulously. '_You're the reason why all the adults give me the evil eyes and nobody respects me?_' He looked the fox up and down. '_You don't look too bad. I thought you would've been a lot bigger and scarier looking._' He walked over to the second psyche inside of him and patted it on top of the head with a grin. '_I don't see what the big deal is about you. A talking nine-tailed fox? I think that's pretty cool!_'

The fox spirit showed no emotions though he was intensely pleased at his host's immediate acceptance of him. This was one of the two toughest steps to take and now things should progress quite smoothly as long as Naruto was willing…and that there was the other toughest step. '**I appreciate your acceptance of me young cub. It is not something I am used to receiving. I would like you to know that although I have been completely sealed away all this time, I have been able to watch everything that has happened through your eyes. I know the contempt your fellow villagers have directed towards you for housing me inside of you.**' It turns its head away in a showing of apparent shame. '**You have needlessly suffered because of me.**'

Inner Naruto took his hand off of his new 'companion' and used it to rub the back of his head while smiling. '_Nah, don't worry about it! I'm kinda used to it now…_' he paused and lowered his hand as a frown spread across his face, '_but there's something I want to know. I remember Mizuki-sensei told me that you destroyed the village and murdered Iruka-sensei's family. Iruka-sensei even said that he hated you,_' the young shinobi backed off while looking hesitant. '_Why? Why did you do it?_'

The long feared demon fox suppressed a growl at this unexpected twist. Using every ounce of intelligence and cunning it possessed, it quickly thought up of an excuse that would appease the boy. '**I may be a nine-tailed fox spirit young cub,**' it began, '**but I am still a fox. It is in my nature to bring mischief and chaos wherever I go. Sometimes…**' it dramatically pauses, '**sometimes I tend to go overboard. I am quite powerful you know. My true form is also much, much larger than what you see here. Death and destruction are unfortunate…but as shinobi are you and your people not prepared for such occurrences? If I am not mistaken, I believe that is part of your lifestyle.**'

'_I…I guess you make a point,_' the boy's psyche hesitantly responded while he mulled over what he just heard, '_but I still think what you did wasn't cool._'

The fox nodded its head once, it's tails lazily swished from side to side. '**I understand your reasoning and there is nothing I can do to reverse what I did all those years ago…but I would like to perhaps help you with your current situation if you would allow me to.**'

'_Help me? How?_'

The second, and much more malevolent psyche inside of Naruto carefully planned out its next words to most appease to its host and make him more willing to go along. '**It is quite simple really. Over the years since I was sealed within you, our native chakra and psyche have slowly begun to adapt to one another and learn to coexist. When you grow and mature more physically we will be at the level of symbiosis.**'

Inner Naruto tilted his head from side to side, more than a little clueless. '_What's that all supposed to mean?_'

Patiently, it answered, '**It means that in due time you and I would work in perfect unison with each other so to speak…but that is still some time away. What I wish to due is to go one step further and merge our chakra together into one. I will keep our psyche separate so I will still be able to communicate with you, but you will gain my power…more power than you can imagine. With my aid you will become the strongest shinobi who ever existed and will see your dream of becoming the greatest Hokage come into fruition. You will be respected by your entire village in no time.**' It held in a smirk at the pure elation it sensed coming from its host.

'_Really?!_' he asked with a wide smirk, '_you can do that?!_' The shinobi's psyche clenched his hands into fists at the idea. '_Can you really make all of that happen if I do this chakra merge with you?_'

'**It will not be I who will make your dreams a reality young one. You will accomplish all those feats. I will merely supply you with the power and knowledge necessary to do them.**' Its psyche walked over to the boy. '**All I need is your willing consent and we will begin, mind you it will take several nights to complete the full merging.**'

'_Why's it gonna take so long?_' Naruto complained. '_Why can't you just do it all in one night and get it over with?_'

The fox spirit gazed intensely at his host. '**I cannot merge our chakra together so easily because your body would not be able to contain such an increase in its native chakra in a single setting. It would most likely kill you and that would kill me in turn. I need to slowly merge my chakra with yours so it will adjust to the steady increase and do not worry, this will not cause you any pain.**'

The young shinobi's psyche visibly gulped while a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. '_Okay, lets do this._'

Resisting the urge to laugh out loud at how gullible its host is, the fox calmly walked in front of Naruto and leapt up, placing its front paws on his shoulders. It leans its head down and moves forward until both of their foreheads are touching. The darkness surrounding them was suddenly filled with bright light as both of their bodies had begun to glow brilliantly.

* * *

That next morning Naruto woke up at his normal time. He stretched with a loud yawn, the sunshine glaring through his window. '_Man,_' he thought to himself, '_that was a really weird dream!_'

The recently made shinobi got out of bed and prepared his breakfast for the morning. He was just about to pour himself a glass of milk when a deep voice in his head suddenly said, '**I would not do that young cub.**'

"What!?" he shouted in shock as he leapt to his feet and dropped the milk carton in his hand. "W-What was that?"

'**I am surprised you so easily forgot about me,**' the voice replied with a tingle of amusement. '**Normally when one meets me…I am never forgotten.**'

Naruto sat back down in his seat with a look of wonder. "So last night wasn't a dream?" he muttered. "So you're really that nine-tailed fox spirit?"

'**Yes young cub,**' it patiently replied, '**and like I had previously said, it would not be wise for you to drink that milk. Instead of speaking out loud you may think of what you wish to say,**' it added after a moments thought. '**While in public you do not desire for others to think of you as possibly mentally unbalanced.**'

The shinobi chuckled a bit out loud. '_Yeah,_' he thought while rubbing the back of his head, '_the last thing I need is for everybody to think I'm crazy or something…but why don't you want me to drink this milk?_'

'**Smell it,**'

Naruto picked up the carton of milk, leaned forward and took a tentative sniff inside. He immediately dropped it and covered his nose, his eyes wide in shock. "Oh man!" the boy shouted, "that stuff stinks! I mean really bad!" He shook his head and rubbed under his nose to try to get the smell away.

'**Yes,**' the demon fox muttered with a wince, the smell having also got to it. '**That milk is expired and would undoubtedly conflict with your system. You should be more careful with products that expire young cub. Do not forget that your actions will affect myself as well as you.**'

'_Yeah, sorry,_' he thought in apology. '_How did you know about the milk?_' Naruto picked up the carton from the floor and checked the expiration date of the top. He nodded as it was indeed expired and shook it slightly and cringed at the sounds of something not quite liquid sloshing around inside. '_And why did it stink so much? It's not that expired._'

'**I am a fox and I have more advanced senses than a normal human,**' it answered. '**Because of the beginning of merging our native chakra together you have gained advanced senses as well. You physical appearance has altered slightly too.**'

The young shinobi's eyebrows raised in surprise. '_I look different?_' He ran over to his mirror and his eyes joined his eyebrows as he took in his new look.

The first thing he noticed was that he was taller. Not a lot taller mind you, but probably a couple of inches or so. His hair had also grown a little longer and was a lighter shade of blonde than normal. Naruto had grown some slight claws on his hands and fangs in his mouth and the three marks on both of his cheeks that looked like whiskers were more pronounced. His ears had become a little pointy on top of them and to top it off, his eyes had darkened from a lively, vibrant blue to purple. All in all, he had a more feral appearance to him now.

"Whoa!" he muttered out loud. After a moment of examining himself in the mirror he smirked widely and let out a laugh. It was quickly replaced by a minor frown as he thought, '_Am I going to keep looking more and more different until we're done with our chakra merging?_' He scratched his head in confusion. '_I'm still kinda confused about all that,_' after a moment he added, '_and why are my eyes purple?_'

The fox spirit inside of him chuckled once before it replied, '**Worry not young cub, I will be here to assist you in any way you need. To answer your first question: this slight physical transformation will be the only one you will experience throughout our merging and it is a permanent change. There is more to explain about another transformation you will be able to make but I will discuss that in due time. Now to your eye color,**' It projected a mental vision of its head into Naruto's mind. '**As you can see my eyes are pure crimson in color whilst yours were a fair sapphire and mixing them together made a clear violet. Again I will discuss more later but very soon now I believe you have a class to attend pertaining to your full ninja training.**'

'_Oh yeah,_' the recently graduated shinboi thought with a wide smirk. He took a glance down at his Hitai-ate headband in front of the mirror and his smirk widened while a mild chuckle escaped him. '_I can't wait to show everyone what I'm made of! Nobody will ever make fun of me again!_'

'**Indeed young one,**' the second psyche agreed, '**but first I think it would be wise to obtain some new apparel.**'

Naruto looked over at his favorite orange and blue getup and muttered, "What's wrong with what I have?"

'**If you will now be going out on missions it would be wise to wear something that is not so easy to distinguish from natural surroundings, especially if a mission requires intense reconnaissance and you must remain concealed for long periods of time. Better to wear darker, less conspicuous clothing.**'

'_Wow you're really smart,_' the boy thought in wonder. '_I'm really glad you're on my side…uh…by the way,_' he added as a sudden thought came to him, '_what do I call you? I know you don't have a name or anything but I don't think you'd really like me calling you 'foxy' or something like that._'

Inside Naruto, the nine-tailed fox spirit nodded once. '**Yes, you have brought up a point and I am admittedly surprised that you would consider it at all. I have seen how you tend to speak before thinking of other's thoughts and feelings ahead of time. Perhaps you have developed some in not in just body but also in spirit. That pleases me greatly.**' It paused to clear its thoughts. '**But I am getting off subject. True I have no real name that I am aware of but if you so desire, you may call me 'Sensei' since I will be your true instructor from now on. Anything you will learn from any chûnin or jônin in your village will not compare to what you will acquire from my teachings.**'

The Kyuubi's host had begun to chuckle again while he placed his hands on his hips for dramatic effect. "Alright Sensei," he began, "lets get some new clothes then I can start my journey to become the greatest Hokage ever!" Naruto quickly tossed on his clothes, grabbed his leaf headband and toast and ran out of his room, his aura literally expelling pure radiance at his good luck.

Deep inside his body, the psyche of the fox spirit grinned malevolently at how perfectly things were unfolding. He had easily gained Naruto's trust and willingness to merge their chakra into one, ensuing its continued existence. Given time, it would soon make the boy powerful enough to become a suitable vessel to take over. When that could properly occur without any problems, it could have a little fun on those who had wronged it and bring back the death and destruction it so lusted for.

Yes, if all progressed as planned, the future would become filled with nothing but blood and despair, a very wonderful future indeed.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's notes**: Hello everyone out there, I hope you enjoyed my very first Naruto fic. I've just recently gotten into this really good series and have been watching the anime closely while also buying every manga volume as it is released here in the States. I want to make sure I have everything down properly about chakra and the many different jutsu that will appear in later chapters. If I make any mistakes please feel free to notify me and I will make the proper adjustments.

I actually started to watch the anime before I began to purchase the manga and I got the idea for this fic right after Naruto first transformed during the fight with Haku. I patiently sat on it until I knew a bit more about the Naruto universe and I hope I have done well so far. This chapter was shorter than I normally post but rest assured the other chapters will always be at least two full pages longer than this one is.

For those of you patiently awaiting updates on my other fics, I apologize but this idea has been nagging me for a while and I couldn't focus on anything else until I was able to at least get the starting chapter done. Now I will get back to my Inu-Yasha fics…I'm almost finished with the next chapter of 'What's a Hanyou to Do?' so you won't have to wait too much longer! – _lighthawkdemon_

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: **lighthawkdemon** at **Y!**


	2. Developing Skills

**Naruto**

_Disclaimer: This episode of Naruto is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Naruto. "Naruto" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1999-2006 Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc. Naruto is a trademark of Viz Media LLC. All rights reserved._

_Note: This series contains content from both the manga and the anime and takes place shortly after the very first chapter/episode of Naruto and will have our main protagonist acting a bit OOC for the rest of the series. Read to discover how and why._

**The Demon Within  
Number 2:  
Developing Skills**

'_Naruto's thoughts_'

'**The nine-tailed demon fox's thoughts**'

'INNER SAKURA'S THOUGHTS'

Naruto entered his classroom with his hands clasped together on the back of his head and a rather large smile on his face. He was wearing his new clothing, which looked identical to the orange and blue getup he normally wore. The main difference was that instead of the main colors being bright orange and blue, they were more of an orange-brown and deep navy…darker colors just like his new 'Sensei' had recommended. Nobody had taken any notice of him or his new appearance, but then again he was more or less usually ignored by most of the recently made genin anyway. All in all, the day started off like any regular day Naruto had before graduating.

The young shinobi was about to walk down the steps to one of the seats closer to the front when a deep voice in his head replied, '**I think you should choose a seat in the very back young cub.**'

Naruto stopped mid-step and nearly lost his balance. '_Why do you want me to sit so far back Sensei?_'

The demon fox smirked at being called such before answering, '**I would like to have a better view of these young genin and observe what we will be dealing with. Now that you have graduated I am confident that higher-ranking shinobi will train you more about combat and such that you have not learned about while here. Therefore it is my assumption that you will be paired up with one or more of your fellow genin to further your progress. It would be wise to have more insight on your future competition. Know thy enemy,**' it wisely said. '**I doubt I will find much in this lot but one can never be too cautious.**'

Its smirk widened as its host nodded and did as he was asked. The fox spirit was sure that the boy, energetic and high-spirited as he was, did not fully understand a lot of the things that it has told him. Not terribly bright yet willing to follow orders to follow through with his dream. That fact above all else made the boy such a perfect host for it could mold him and teach young Naruto and get him to slowly detest his village and turn his inner pain and anguish into something much more useful. All the nine-tailed demon fox needed to do is steer its host in the right direction and be patient.

The young shinobi took a seat up in the back and when he saw who he was sitting next to he held in a slight groan. '_Ah man, not Hinata! She's kinda creepy and so shy. I don't think she's ever looked me in the eye…what's her deal?_'

The young Hyuga girl quickly darted her eyes over at Naruto then looked back just as quickly, a light blush having formed across her face. "Um…h-hi Naruto-kun," she stammered out. "I'm g-glad you made it…I-I mean I'm glad you graduated." The shy kunoichi quickly glanced at the boy next to her again. "You look…different."

"Uh, yeah…thanks," Naruto responded while scratching the back of his head with a light smirk. "Since I…uh…since I'm a real ninja now I decided for a new look." He chuckled nervously, hoping she would buy they hastily put together lie.

Hinata looked down at her hands and poked her two index fingers together while her blush deepened. "I-I like it."

While Naruto chatted with the girl sitting next to him, the fox spirit noticed how oddly the Hyuga girl acted around its host from her demure posture to her reddened face but decided to put it aside for future reference. It then scanned the classroom and examined all of the other shinobi and kunoichi. It had learned many things since its imprisonment and one of them was the ability to fully gauge the exact chakra levels of any being within a given distance…an ability it would soon teach Naruto.

Normally a genin of his level would only be able to sense the chakra of someone or something before it were ready to perform a ninjutsu of some sort. The ability it would soon instruct the boy on would give him a good tactical advantage since he would then be able to tell how much chakra an opponent had and know precisely how great or small a threat they would be.

The demon fox mentally shook its head as it sensed the chakra levels of all the young genin in the classroom. True some of the children had some potential, in fact it was getting a strange reading from that quiet boy wearing sunglasses, Aburame Shino was his name…it felt as if his charka was…crawling all over him; but its host would easily be able to take them down after the chakra merge was complete and…it paused as it sensed an unusually strong amount of chakra coming from a youth. That child could be a good training dummy…especially considering its host's strong distaste of him. '**Young cub,**' it said to its host.

'_Yeah?_' he suddenly replied in distraction. His eyes widened right after he thought that. '_I-I mean yes Sensei?_'

With a chuckle, the second psyche in the boy continued, '**I have found a young ninja that is most suitable to train with. His chakra and potential levels far surpass any other student here…except you of course.**' At Naruto's interested expression, it finished, '**Look to your left and down several seats. He is the quiet one wearing a blue top and white shorts.**'

Having heard that description, Naruto cringed and slowly turned his head to the left with loud cracking sounds coming with each slight twist. '_Oh no!_' he mentally wailed. '_Not him! Anybody but the high and mighty class heartthrob Uchiha Sasuke! I hate him!_' He laid his chin down on the table in front of him and grumbled under his breath at the unfairness of it all.

Next to him Hinata noticed his odd behavior. "N-Naruto-kun," she began, "are you alright?"

"Fine," the now disgruntled shinobi muttered. His newly enhanced sense of smell suddenly caught a whiff of a certain scent, a scent that caused his face to heat up and his heartbeat to increase. He snapped his head towards the entrance and his eyes widened in delight at the young woman at the door. '_Whoa!_' he thought, '_Haruno Sakura…what a babe!_'

'**Ah yes,**' Naruto's Sensei replied as it set its sight on its host's crush. '**I see you have a strong emotional attachment as well as base desires for that young woman with the unusually large forehead.**'

'_Her forehead's not large!_' the boy thought while growling out loud and startling Hinata next to him and a few other shinobi and kunoichi nearby. '_I think her brow's noble and charming!_' He watched on as Sakura looked around the class…completely ignoring him by the way…until her eyes rested on a certain young man a few seats down.

With a gleeful smile she leapt down and rushed up next to the one person Naruto despised above all else. "Good morning Sasuke-kun," she said in a very cheerful voice, "Is this seat taken? ♥" Without waiting for an answer she sat down and gazed at the boy with hearts in her eyes, an occasional giggle escaping her. Right behind her crush two girls glared murderously at her and muttered under their breath.

'**It appears she is spoken for young cub,**' the fox spirit idly commented, knowing full well that his ire had a very short fuse when it concerned that particular girl and her interest in his rival. When its host's head shot up and glared daggers at the back of the Uchiha boy's head it went for the kill, '**I also noticed that she disregarded you completely while she looked for that boy, not giving you even the slightest notice. Apparently your feelings for her are just one-sided.**' Having said its part, the demon fox sat back to enjoy the show.

Naruto's hands gripped the desk in front of him and in a loud **crunch** he snapped a large chunk of it off, not realizing his own newfound strength. Hinata was startled but also impressed by his strength. Her look of surprise was quickly replaced by her usual blush when around her secret crush. The young man took the chunk of wood in his hands and threw it precisely at Sasuke, hoping to at least graze him.

It was not to be as Sasuke sensed the attack coming and leaned his head back at the last possible moment and easily caught the incoming target with his left hand. The class looked up in interest as he quickly got to his feet and glared over at Naruto who was matching his evil glare with one of his own. Sparks of energy shot out from their eyes and collided halfway between each other. The Uchiha boy held up the piece of wood thrown at him. "I believe you dropped this."

"Naruto you jerk!" Sakura shouted while a vein throbbed in her forehead, her evil eyes far surpassed those of the two boys. "How dare you try to attack Sasuke-kun? Apologize to him right now!" In her mind, Inner Sakura shouted, 'YEAH! KNOW YOUR PLACE YOU LITTLE TWERP!'

One girl, most probably a Sasuke fan, shouted, "Don't take that Sasuke-kun, hit him!"

Another piped in, "Yeah! Do it!"

Naruto watched as his major crush defended the one guy he really hated and felt his anger grow even stronger. Inside of him the nine-tailed demon fox let out a feral grin as it felt its host reaching his limit. With the seal on the boy weakened and their two native chakra slowly merging into one, the fox spirit would be able to take over Naruto's body from time to time. All it had needed to do so would be for the boy to reach the peak of a certain trigger. Anger was that trigger.

In time it would eliminate that particular handicap so it would be able to emerge at any given moment…though unfortunately it would need it's host complete consent before being able to take over…and it would only be able to for a short while. True it could unleash massive amounts of chakra without even being phased but its host was still young and would burn himself out to the point of passing out if he let out too much chakra at once. It shook its head with a sigh. Humans were such frail beings.

Though it wanted _so_ much to keep the boy infuriated enough to have him reach his trigger, the demon fox was wise enough to not let such a thing occur in a village that held the scroll with the spell that originally sealed it inside the boy. No, the time would come to have some fun but not right now. '**I think it would be wise to quell your anger for right now,**' it calmly said. '**An instructor is on their way here right now and it would not be wise to be caught in the middle of a scuffle.**'

A loud **hiss** came from the young shinobi as the steam escaped him. He grumbled, "This isn't over yet," under his breath before sitting back down.

The fox's words ran true and Iruka-sensei entered the classroom a short while later and went on telling all the graduates their next step into the world of shinobi. Naruto's anger was soon forgotten as his old cheerfulness kicked back in full force, a confident smile on his face. The Hyuga girl next to him noticed and smiled herself, always admiring Naruto for the confidence and courage he always displayed that she wished she could have. When she realized she was staring the young woman blushed heavily again and went back to staring at her hands.

The fox spirit noticed her actions again and grinned. If it was reading her correctly, and it certainly believed it was, the girl cared for its host in the same manner he cared for the Haruno child. And by reading her chakra more closely, it was delighted to discover that she possessed the all-seeing Byakugan Eye…a rare and delectable Kekkei Genkai with limitless potential. Thinking quickly, it believed she could be made into an ally and it could train her through the boy. The hesitancy and shyness she had exhibited could easily be taken care of and she would become a formidable kunoichi who only wanted to stay by Naruto's side and would follow him wherever he went.

True to the earlier thoughts of Naruto's Sensei, Iruka soon told all the young genin that they were to divide up into three-man cells to be mentored by a jônin. '**Let us hope, young cub, that you get paired into a group that will help some with your ninja training and not pull you back. I can teach you many things from my place inside you but without proper external training and well adapted training partners then many things I will have taught you will be for naught. I for one do not desire to waste any time and I am assured that neither do you.**'

Naruto nodded slightly in response. '_Yeah, you make a pretty good point…but I'd really like to be partnered with Sakura-chan. Anybody else I can handle…except Sasuke!_'

The fox spirit hung its head with a sigh. Truthfully it would rather have Naruto team up with that Uchiha boy and if possible the Hinata child. The girl with the large forehead would be nothing more than a distraction…then again its host would excel to impress her and look good in front of the girl. That could be as productive as training with young Sasuke. It knew that as rivals, they would strive to outdo each other…a simple yet productive means of improving skill. Either way, as long as the boy was teamed up with Sasuke and either the Hyuga girl or Sakura…it would be content.

Iruka-sensei then told the class that he made each pairing so each cell's abilities would be equal. After a few small outbursts he read through all the cell pairings off of his list one at a time. After a while, he reached, "Next, cell number seven. Haruno Sakura…Uzamaki Naruto…" the young girl hung her head while Naruto raised his hands in the air with a cheer, "and…Uchiha Sasuke!" Now the roles were reversed with Sakura cheering while the fox demon's host slammed his forehead on the remainder of his desk.

Naruto looked back up and shook his head with a sigh. '_Well I guess I can deal with it since you said he was perfect to train on…but at least I still get to partner with Sakura-chan!_' The boy's Sensei did not answer out loud but its deadly smirk was more than enough to let know how it felt.

After finishing up with the cell pairings, Iruka-sensei looked around the class and smiled. "OK everyone," he began, "I'll be introducing your senior ninjutsu instructors this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed!" As his eyes traveled up to the boy who was very much like himself at the same age, the chûnin's smile fell slightly. 'Naruto!' He thought to himself. 'What in the world…' he paused mid thought as the boy stood with the rest of the class to leave and he turned his head towards Iruka for the briefest of moments. As their eyes momentarily connected, the instructor had a sudden vision…though calling it a nightmare would suffice as well.

…A monster of gigantic proportions…thick white fur stained with red…shinobi blood…crimson eyes that contained the purest essence of evil…nine long, flowing tails…both his mother and father lying dead at its heels…

The chûnin shook himself to, banishing the horrible vision from his mind. All of the young genin had thankfully already left so nobody saw how his body trembled ever so slightly. "Wh-What was that?" Iruka-sensei muttered under his breath, touching his face and feeling cold perspiration. "Why did I have that vision when I looked into Naruto's eyes…his…_violet_ eyes?" His eyes widened as a sudden thought came to him. He leapt out of the class on a straight path to the Hokage's house. 'I need to let the Hokage-sama know,' he thought to himself. 'I've got a very unsettling feeling about this. Something…terrible has happened to Naruto!'

* * *

On top of a building some distance away, Naruto was sitting down with some food and a drink in his hands. His coat was lying next to him leaving the young shinobi in only his dark blue undershirt from the waist up. A silent wind played through his longer hair and it danced about as he chewed thoughtfully. '_Sensei_,' he slowly began, '_do you have any idea what that jônin teacher's going to try to teach us?_'

The fox spirit pondered over that question for a moment before it responded, '**I am not entirely sure but I would assume that the jônin would try to work upon strengthening both you and your partners in all aspects from your bodies to all your ninjutsu skills. I also believe they would also train you on how to work as a team.**'

'_Work as a team?_' the boy thought with a confused expression. '_Why would we need to do that?_'

'**You forget young cub,**' it began, '**shinobi and kunoichi in this and all neighboring villages partake in many missions, many of them vastly difficult and requiring more than one ninja to accomplish. Teamwork would be vital for both the success of the mission and the survival of the team involved. Remember that young one.**' The demon fox's host nodded in both understanding and acceptance. '**Though in time will become greatly powerful, it would be quite wise to ally yourself with powerful ninja with unique talents…ones that even I cannot teach you.**' It paused to let that last statement sink into the boy. Now it had given the boy the insight to search out for powerful and uniquely talented allies, ones such as the Hyuga girl.

"Wow," Naruto muttered under his breath, "I never thought if it like that." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed out loud. "Man, who knows what kind of stupid stuff I could have done or said if I didn't know that! I'm really glad that you're helping me like this Sensei."

Inside the boy's mind, the fox spirit nodded slightly. '**Duly noted young cub. Now I would like for you to stand up. I am going to start your true training right now.**'

With a large grin he got to his feet. '_Alright!_' The young genin thought, '_just what I've been waiting for! So what kind of super-cool technique are you going to teach me Sensei?_'

'**Not so fast child,**' it replied, suddenly sounding very stern. '**I expect you to treat this whole ordeal as seriously as I do. You have made a decision and it is far too late to back down now and the only way out is death. Do you understand me?**' A bead of sweat formed on its host's face and he nodded with a gulp. '**Good,**' the nine-tailed fox demon said after a moment, its voice sounding a little less severe. '**There will come a time for learning new and powerful ninjutsu abilities but for now we will start with the basics. What you will learn now is simple to accomplish but it will also help immensely in your progress. Young cub, today you will learn to properly control your chakra consumption.**'

* * *

While Naruto and his malevolent 'Sensei' trained, Sakura sat on a bench while her thoughts drifted towards the Uchiha boy as usual. Her thoughts quickly went down a direction that was a little too explicit for this fic to contain so lets move on shall we?

* * *

"You look unusually distressed today Iruka-san," the Hokage commented, his old pipe in his mouth with his hands clasped together behind his back. "Is it Naruto again?" Next to the old man a tall shinobi looked over him in mild interest. His face from the nose down was concealed and his Hitai-ate headband covered his left eye.

"Yes Hogake-sama," the chûnin replied, "but it is not for one of his usual pranks." He nodded to the other shinobi in greeting and got a similar response. "I was just in class with all the newly graduated genin setting up their three-man cells and informing them to return later to be paired up with a jônin and as they all stood to leave…I noticed that Naruto's appearance…he looks different!"

The third Hogake of Konohagakure village stared impassively at the orphaned chûnin. "I am not sure how Naruto wearing different clothes is such a big deal Iruka-san." Next to the old man the jônin's visible right eye shined with slight bemusement.

Iruka shook his head slightly. "No sir, it's not his clothes…I mean it's not just his clothes that have changed," that last comment increased the two other men's interest. "I know Naruto better than anyone in this village but that boy I saw earlier…something about him…I was only able to look at him for no more than a few moments but I knew something happened to him, something changed him. He physically looked different. It wasn't much but I could instantly see the difference…especially his eyes." He paused for a moment as the vision he had earlier flashed through his mind again. "I know I might be wrong and I pray that I am…but I think somehow the seal on the Kyuubi has weakened enough for the monster to influence Naruto."

* * *

'**Well done young cub,**' the demon fox praised. It was pleasantly impressed and quite pleased with its host. It quickly discovered that with proper training and motivation Naruto was quite a fast learner. In less than an hour he had already managed to control how much chakra he pulled out before performing a jutsu. It had him start off easy with just Henge no Jutsu and then escalate to more powerful ones like his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. While the boy preformed each his Sensei carefully watched on while keeping an eye on everything he did.

It quickly deduced that one of Naruto's major faults was that he always pulled out too much chakra from inside of him, far more than necessary to perform whatever jutsu he was planning on doing. All that extra chakra that wasn't used would be completely wasted and could not be pulled back inside of him. If anyone, be they human or beast, use up all of their chakra, they would in effect use up all their spirit or life and would perish. Though with the chakra merge the fox spirit's host would now have to use up _a lot_ of charka to completely run out, one could never be too cautious when dealing with one's own life. Besides…the nine-tailed demon fox was quite cunning and liked to plan ahead and had already had things set in case of such an occurrence. It would most assuredly survive; Naruto on the other hand…well he was only just a pawn…

The young genin gazed at the village around him, looking very pleased with himself. '_I never knew I was wasting so much chakra before,_' he thought. '_So do you think this will help me a lot more now Sensei?_'

The fox spirit stopped its internal thinking and responded, '**Of course child. Accurately withdrawing just enough chakra to use is an essential ability that all ninja must master if they desire to progress up the ranks to become the greatest in their village or in shorter terms Hogake.**' It paused for a moment. '**Now that we have tackled that particular hurdle, I will now train you to properly control your chakra use.**'

Naruto nodded once with his arms folded in front of him. '_Okay, so how are we going to do that?_'

'**You climb up the chimney stack behind us…but you cannot use your arms.**'

'_WHAT!_' the boy mentally shouted in shock. '_How in the world can I do that!_'

The long feared demon fox grinned again. '**It is quite simple young cub and I am positive you can master this ability as quickly as you mastered the previous one.**'

* * *

Not too far away nearly half an hour later Sasuke was leaning against the side of a building several floors above the ground while eating his lunch. 'Why do I have to get paired up with such fools?' he glumly thought to himself. 'Personally I think I can advance a lot faster without those two holding me back.' He paused to look up at the clear blue shy, just in time to see two birds fluttering by. He frowned as the sound of obnoxious laughter rang all around him. Happy cheering quickly followed.

With a grunt of disapproval the Uchiha boy dropped his meal and leapt up to the roof to investigate. His eyes narrowed as he spotted what the annoying sound came from. A few rooftops over that dumb kid who threw a chunk of wood at him…Narugo or whatever his name was…was laughing and jumping around like the idiot he was. 'What is that dunce so happy about?' he thought.

Naruto suddenly stopped jumping and his expression changed from pure joy to concern. "A-Are you sure?" he asked out loud, though there wasn't another person anywhere near him. "I mean…what if I…" he paused as if he were getting a response from someone and Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the hyperactive kid's extremely odd behavior. "Alright," he said with a nod, "I'll give it a shot."

The young Uchiha clan member moved a bit closer to get a better view, his curiosity peaked. 'What in the world is he doing?'

Naruto walked over to the edge of the roof and looked straight down, gulping loud enough for even the young genin spying on him to clearly hear. He clasped his hands together, his right hand on top of his left with his index and middle fingers pointing straight up. He focused for a moment and a bit of wind seemed to emanate from his feet. With a deep breath Naruto took a step forward and started to fall.

Sasuke's eyed widened as the dunce seemingly walked off of the roof. His eyes widened further as he fell forward but stopped as his feet stuck _on the side of the building!_ 'That's very impressive chakra control for a fool like him,' the young heartthrob thought with a slight smirk. 'Maybe I misjudged him a bit.'

He looked up at Naruto cheered out loud at his accomplishment. "Alright! I did it!" Not using his better judgment plus the warnings of his Sensei inside of him, the young genin leapt up…er…sideways in a celebration…only then realizing that the only thing keeping him from falling were his feet sticking to the wall. He let out a quick, "CRAP!" before falling down with his limbs flailing around uselessly. Naruto noticed the large dumpster below him just a scant moment before crashing into it, piles of garbage and spoiled food flying in every which direction.

Several floors up Sasuke shook his head with a sigh. "I was wrong," he muttered, "he's an idiot."

**To be continued…  
**

* * *

**Ninjutsu move translations**:

_Henge no Jutsu_: Transforming technique

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_: Shadow-clone technique/Shadow Replication technique

* * *

**Author's notes**: Well hello again dear readers! What do you think about this new chapter? Enjoyed it I hope. As you can see I'm trying to keep up with the pace of the anime and manga but of course with several changes here and there. I will get a bit more into Iruka and the Hokage's conversation next chapter as well as fully introduce Kakashi-sensei when he becomes cell number seven's jônin instructor. I'm sure many of you have noticed that the Kyuubi (hope I spelled that right!) or nine-tailed demon fox is plotting and scheming a lot and of course keeping even more things hidden from his poor unwilling prison. I'll bring more of his plans into the light in future chapters so be patient and you'll find out in due time. Oh, and if anyone can give me the Japanese names for the random number of jutsu used throughout Naruto I'd be very appreciative. I'd like to use their original names and will change them once I know what the hell they are!

As some of you might have noticed, I just recently added a 'Ninjutsu move translations' section at the end of the chapter. Thanks to you readers I have found several good sites with the Japanese names for all the assorted ninjutsus preformed throughout the Naruto world so I will use them all in their original content. Thanks again everyone! – _lighthawkdemon_

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: **lighthawkdemon** (at) **Y!**


	3. The Jônin Instructor Kakashi!

**Naruto**

_Disclaimer: This episode of Naruto is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Naruto. "Naruto" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1999-2006 Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc. Naruto is a trademark of Viz Media LLC. All rights reserved._

_Note: This series contains content from both the manga and the anime and takes place shortly after the very first chapter/episode of Naruto and will have our main protagonist acting a bit OOC for the rest of the series. Read to discover how and why._

**The Demon Within  
Number 3:  
The Jônin Instructor Kakashi!**

'_Naruto's thoughts_'

'**The nine-tailed demon fox's thoughts**'

'INNER SAKURA'S THOUGHTS'

The third Hokage and the senior shinobi next to him both gave Iruka startled looks. "The Nine-Tails," the old man slowly began, "is influencing Naruto?" He looked sternly at the chûnin before him. "Iruka-san I do hope for your sake that you are serious, for joking around on such a matter is not something we take so lightly in this village."

"I assure I am completely serious Hokage-sama!" Iruka replied, his expression conveying his words. "The Naruto I saw today was different than the Naruto I know and have taught since he started at the academy." He stopped for a moment to shake his head. "Most of the differences were subtle but I easily noticed them."

The partially masked jônin tilted his head to the side slightly. "And what differences did you notice Iruka-sensei?"

With a sigh he began, "Well it looked like he was a tad taller, perhaps a couple of inches or so. Those odd marks on his cheeks that look like whiskers looked deeper…more pronounced. The most startling difference I saw was his eyes. They weren't blue…they were a deep purple!" He paused for a moment to scratch the back of his head uncomfortably. "Naruto and I locked eyes for a moment and I saw…it was…I know something malevolent has happened to him. There may have been more changes about him but I couldn't get a better look at him from my vantage point."

The third Hokage scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm," he muttered, "this does indeed sound interesting and does bear looking in to. It just so happens both Kakashi-san and myself were about to visit Naruto's residence before you came Iruka-san. Perhaps you would like to join us?"

The chûnin nodded and the three shinobi went off to the dwelling of the child whose young body harbored the most terrifying demons to have ever existed.

* * *

The three shinobi entered Naruto's apartment, the oldest of them narrowing his eyes as soon as he set foot inside. "Kakashi-san, Iruka-san…can you sense it?"

The jônin nodded once with his hands in his pockets. "It's faint but I can definitely detect a foul, evil power…" he paused and tilted his head towards the Uzamaki boy's bed, "…and it's coming from over there."

The scarred chûnin hung his head and let out a defeated sigh, knowing his fears seem to be justified. His attention was drawn towards a framed photograph on Naruto's dresser of the two of them that was just taken the other day. In it both of them are smiling cheerfully with Iruka ruffling the younger boy's hair while the energetic youth flashed a 'peace' symbol with his fingers. 'Oh Naruto,' he thought to himself, 'what have you gotten yourself into?' Kakashi looked over Iruka's shoulder to take a peek at the photo and studied the young boy's features closely.

The Third Hokage walked over to the bed and pulled his pipe out of his mouth with a frown. "It pains me to say that you were indeed right in your suspicions Iruka-san. I haven't felt this dreadful chakra in twelve years and now from what I can sense, it appears that the seal on the nine-tailed demon fox has weakened enough for it to come out slightly and has made contact with Naruto. I am guessing it did so while the boy was asleep since that would have been safest to make its move." He paused to shake his head. "What all else happened I can only imagine. Kakashi-san, I want you to keep a close eye on Naruto and report anything about him that seems suspicious. He's a good child…just misunderstood because of his unique situation and I fear the nine-tails might try to taint him. He has a hard enough time in this village as it is and I do not want things getting worse for him."

Kakashi nodded once before he turned around and left Naruto's apartment to meet up with his new group of rookie genin to teach.

* * *

Some time later cell number seven were back in class while waiting for their jônin instructor to arrive. They had patiently waited while all of the other cell's jônin arrived and took their respective teams away one-by-one but the last team left some time ago and they haven't seen nor heard a peep from anyone on the outside since. Naruto sat on a desk near the top of the class while he rested his head in the palm of his right hand, boredom etched across his face. "This is taking waaaaayy too long," he muttered out loud. He yawned quite loudly afterwards. "What's this guy's deal?"

Down up at the very first row of desk Sakura leaned onto a desk near Sasuke while blowing up at the hair falling down on her forehead. "I know this sounds really weird but I actually agree with Naruto." She looked over to her left to her crush and her cheeks reddened very slightly. 'If only Naruto weren't here I'd be all alone in this room with Sasuke-kun!' she thought to herself while Inner Sakura added, 'LET'S TAKE OUT THAT MORON SO SASUKE CAN BE OURS!'

The young Uchiha took half a glance towards the girl who was much too close for his comfort and held in a sigh, wondering just how badly both she and that blonde haired dunce will stall his own progress.

Even the nine-tailed demon fox was losing its patience at the tardiness of its host's jônin 'instructor'…that and the apparent lack of action that it was craving. '**I find this most dissatisfying young cub,**' it said after a long period of silence. '**The belatedness shows both disrespect towards you and the others as well as incompetence on the part of your soon to be instructor. I hope for their sake that either he or she is quite skilled.**'

'_Me too,_' the young shinobi thought while letting out a huff of annoyance. '_I really want to pull a prank on him but I know you probably wouldn't want me to._'

'**I would not have minded if you had found an amusing way to prank on your soon to be jônin instructor child,**' it admitted and getting its host to look momentarily surprised. '**Do remember that I am a fox. Pranks and mischief are what we foxes are known for and one aspect of you that I particularly enjoy witnessing.**'

"Maybe next time I will," He muttered under his breath with a smirk. After a few moments of the unsettling quiet, he had begun to stare out the windows to his right with a wistful look in his eyes. '_I was really getting into our training earlier…even that fall into the dumpster was kinda fun!_' he added while holding in a chuckle.

'**That was…amusing,** Naruto's Sensei admitted with a slight nod, '**though next time I would advise against such a foolish action. True you were fortunate enough to have that dumpster below you but next time you may not be as lucky.**' It paused to cringe its nose. '**Though the smell alone had me desiring that you fell onto the ground instead.**'

Naruto cringed as well. '_Yeah, you're right. That stuff did stink pretty bad! I thought having stronger senses would be really cool…but the smell of that dumpster kinda got me to not like them as much._' He subconsciously rubbed his nose. '_I also wish I had bought more than one pair of my new clothes._' He looked down at what he was currently wearing, his dark blue undershirt and a pair of black shorts he didn't know he even had and discovered them while digging through his closet. '_I didn't want to toss my new clothes but those things really stunk even after washing them three times! Poor Froggy-kun is going to look so thin after this!_' he added in despair, thinking of his cute wallet in the shape of a plump green frog.

The fox spirit nodded. '**Yes. With your new acute senses such things will become more prominent. I now advise you to bathe continuously and avert yourself from such unsettling stenches. Later we shall work on honing your senses so you will have maximum control.**' It paused for a moment as it sensed a presence slowly coming nearer to the classroom.** 'I also understand your monetary plight but more important matters are currently at hand, namely your long delayed jônin instructor has finally arrived.**'

The young shinobi looked up in interest a moment before the front door to the classroom opened and an adult shinobi entered looking quite bored from what they all could see of his face. "Oh, hello," he calmly said to the three young genin left in the room, "I'm glad to see that you guys are patient." Naruto snorted loudly and obviously before turning his attention back towards the window and the world outside. The jônin instructor glanced at him while studying the boy intently. 'So that's Uzamaki Naruto,' he thought to himself. 'Iruka-sensei was right to be suspicious. This young boy in front of me does indeed look slightly different from the kid in the photo with him. Add that to what we all sensed in his room…I guess I will have to keep a closer eye on him like Hokage-sama wanted.'

Sakura stood up and bowed politely. "Good afternoon sensei. It's nice to meet you." Inside of her though, Inner Sakura was in a rage. 'WHY'D IT TAKE YOU SO LONG TO GET HERE?' she shouted while throwing fists left and right. 'I ALMOST DIED OF BOREDOM WAITING YOU BIG SNEAKY LOOKING JERK!'

The Uchiha boy looked the jônin up and down, his expression remaining cold and indifferent. He thought, 'This guy doesn't look anything special at all. Man, things just keep getting worse for me today.'

Cell seven's instructor turned around and started to walk away. "Its too nice of a day to spend it in this stuffy classroom," he said over his shoulder. "How about we all go up to the roof and enjoy the weather?" Without another word he leaves the room and slides the door shut behind him.

Sakura and Sasuke wordlessly follow, both wondering what exactly their jônin instructor has in mind. Naruto got to his feet and stuffed his hands into his pockets while grumbling under his breath with a scowl. '_Man,_' he thought, '_what kind of joke did we get stuck with?_'

'**Do not be so quick to judge pup,**' the nine-tails said from inside of him, '**though he may look lazy and incompetent, I scanned over that jônin** **and I discovered his concealed left eye is a Sharingan or Mirror-Wheel eye. Curious though as to why he has it on only one eye.**'

The young shinobi walked out of the classroom a few steps behind his team while he continued to converse with his Sensei. '_Sharingan?_' He questioned. '_Mirror-Wheel? What does all that mean Sensei?_'

The fox spirit nodded. '**Of course, please allow me to enlighten you. The Sharingan is a rare Kekkei Genkai, a trait you are born with that lies within your family blood, of incredible power. It is an ocular ninjutsu that allows those who posses it to be able to penetrate, reflect and duplicate any and all genjutsu and ninjutsu seen as well as some light forms of taijutsu.**' At the boy's awed expression, it continued, '**There is more to discuss about the Sharingan and some of its other abilities as well as other Kekkei Genkai you will encounter in this and other villages but that is for another time. I suggest you increase your pace young cub, the others are far ahead of you now.**'

Naruto looked up to see both Sasuke and Sakura already walking up the stairs to the roof while he was only just a few steps out of the classroom. "Crap!" he shouted while rushing to catch up.

* * *

Up on the roof the jônin instructor leaned against the railing at the edge of the roof with his arms folded across his chest while his new cell sat down several feet in front of him. "Now I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves."

"Like what?" Sakura questioned.

"…You know," he replied with a shrug. "The usual. Your favorite thing…what you hate the most…dreams, ambitions, hobbies, things like that."

"Don't get me wrong," Naruto begun, "but isn't it more polite for you to do that first? I mean we pretty much know squat about you so how about it coach?" The Haruno girl nodded in agreement as inside of the young man the demon fox smiled toothily at its host's brashness. It suspected that this was the boy's way of acting out at his instructor instead of pulling a prank on him for being so tardy.

The jônin glanced at the violet-eyed boy for a moment, still looking quite bored. "Oh…me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes!" He tilted his head to the side slightly. "My dreams for the future are none of your business…but anyway, I have lots of hobbies…" he deliberately trailed off, letting them know that he was done discussing himself.

Sakura looked at her teammates and was about to say something when Naruto cut in, "Wow," he started in a tone similar to Kakashi's, "its like I've known you my entire life now." Sasuke let no emotions show though he was surprised that the dunce made such a good smart-ass comment.

The pink haired kunoichi let out a snort of laughter and quickly covered her mouth with both of her hands. 'Nice one,' she thought while glancing over at the class clown on her right. Her eyes widen slightly as she takes in his new apparel. 'Wow, he actually ditched that dorky orange getup of his. He looks totally different without it…and…kinda cool…though he's nowhere near as cool as Sasuke-kun!' her mind quickly added after such a blasphemous thought.

'**Impressive young cub,**' the Kyuubi congratulated, '**it appears that I have already begun to rub off on you.**'

Cell seven's instructor was a bit annoyed at a twelve-year-old making fun of him but decided to let it pass for now. He would have his revenge…soon enough. "Well now it's your turn," he began while looking directly at the vessel for the nine-tailed fox demon. "Since you're already in the mood to speak why don't you go on ahead?"

Naruto adjusted his hitai-ate leaf forehead band before saying, "My name is Uzamaki Naruto! My dream is to one day become the greatest Hokage to ever exist! And when that happens all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!"

Kakashi's visible eye rose slightly after hearing this. 'Well, hasn't he turned out interesting…' he thought to himself.

"…As for my likes, dislikes and hobbies," he paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully, "I'll let you know those when you show up on time!" The fox spirit inside of him let out a bark of laughter, quite enjoying this show. The Uchiha boy shook his head and let out a barely audible sigh, despite the fact that his opinion of Naruto did go up a tad.

Sakura gaped at the light yellow haired boy while her much more expressive inner psyche gave a large thumbs-up while shouting, 'OH YEAH! YOU GOT BURNED!'

The Copy Ninja was again annoyed at the young blonde haired boy but continued to not show it and reveal any weakness in front of the young genin. He continued. "Right then, let's move on."

The introductions soon ended with Sasuke telling little more than the two before him, though his mentioning plans of restoring his clan and having someone he has sworn to kill did come as a surprise to his teammates. The Haruno girl told as little about herself though it was easy to tell what was on her mind as she continuously stared at her crush and blushed deeply. She was quite adamant to voice aloud her hatred of Naruto, much to the chagrin of the young man in question and amusement of his 'prisoner'.

"I believe we all understand one another," Kakashi began after a moment of making sure nobody else had something else to say. "Formal training begins tomorrow." At hearing this Naruto put his hands on his knees and smiled widely, a speck or two of laughter escaping him. The jônin ignored the hyperactive boy and continued, "Our first project involves only the members of this cell."

The young container for the Kyuubi nodded once before asking, "So what are we going to do?"

The partially masked shinobi let out the briefest of smirks…though the young genin in front of him could not see it. "Survival exercises."

* * *

Some time later Naruto was sitting in a clearing by a river and forest where Kakashi said they would be training the following morning. He looked curiously over at three wood stumps sticking out of the ground to his right. "I wonder what those are for?" he thought out loud. He suddenly rubbed his nose as he caught a light scent of smoke in the air, a scent he didn't like too much. The young man looked around for a few moments and he soon found a cigarette butt near the tree stumps. He leaned forward and took a tentative sniff and leapt back at how strong it still smelled. "Bleh!" he coughed out while spitting onto the ground, "that thing still smells pretty fresh. I guess somebody was here before I was."

'**Good deduction child,**' the Kyuubi praised. '**My assumption is that one of the cells has already been here to train. I suppose this is a regular spot for such an occurrence.**' It paused for a moment in thought. '**I am curious to know whether or not the cell that was here not too long ago passed or failed.**'

That last statement brought about a mixture of emotions inside the young genin from excitement at proving himself worthy to become an actual shinobi and a bit nervous at Kakashi's warning that this test had a sixty-six percent rate of failure meaning that most of the other genin he graduated with would be going back for more training.

Inside of him the dreaded fox demon sensed its host's nervousness. '**Do not concern yourself over such a trivial matter,**' it assured the boy, '**now that I am on your side it would be quite unlikely that you not pass this test. You are faster, stronger and a great deal more agile than you were the previous day. Your chakra consumption and control now are at a level of any above average ninja. After tonight's merge your senses will be more honed, which will turn you into an excellent tracker. The only possible way that you cannot exceed in this test would be through the faults of your own team members.**

'_Yeah…yeah! You're right!_' he mentally exclaimed while his high spirits rose back to their average levels. '_You know…this is a nice spot,_' he thought while he looked up at the bright, late afternoon sky. '_Wow, the clouds and the sky look really cool. I guess I can understand why Shikamaru likes to stare up there all the time._'

'**I would highly disapprove you of doing such a thing young cub,**' the demon fox commented. '**You need to train diligently now if you wish to accomplish your dreams. Now I highly recommend scouting out a suitable amount of space around this current area since this will be the location of your real test. Search for good spots to conceal yourself for I doubt this jônin instructor will make things easy for you children. If this were a one-on-one exercise I would have advised also placing down traps but I know you do not wish to possibly harm your teammates if they were to accidentally fall into one of them.**' The fox spirit's host nodded in agreement.** 'Now scout this area and familiarize yourself with the landscape until the sun is setting on the horizon and when that time has come we shall return to Konohagakure to eat then we will return here to resume your training.**'

"Yes Sensei!" the boy enthusiastically responded out loud as he went about exploring the clearing and forest. In a short time he found several well concealed hiding places both in the trees and on the ground inside some thick bushes. He spent the next three hours walking a mile radius all around the meeting spot for tomorrow's 'survival training'. Naruto quickly got acquainted with the various surroundings he encountered in that entire area and discovered how much more of an advantage having heightened senses was. Though he had trouble focusing on them entirely, the young shinobi was able to clearly see tracks on the ground and sniff out the hiding spots of several small furry animals. '_This is so cool!_' he thought in pure enjoyment at his new 'skills'.

'**Indeed,**' the Kyuubi agreed. The honed senses was just the first of many steps it needed the boy to accomplish before he could become the perfect vessel to use against this wretched village.

It knew the boy would not be invincible by any means but as long as he used his head more, especially during battle, he would ensure both their survivals. The demon fox would feel more at ease after the chakra merge was complete because when it was done, Naruto would heal at an astonishing rate, even at injuries that would be almost certainly fatal to any normal person or even ninja. Soon the boy would also be ready to learn vast amounts of various jutsu techniques that it had seen over its vast lifetime. Though the fox spirit itself could not perform these techniques it could easily instruct it's host on how to properly use them. It suddenly took notice of the sky and said, '**Well young cub, the sun has begun its descent so you may take a break to go and feast, but might I suggest you place a Henge no Jutsu over the marks on your cheeks?**'

'_These marks?_' he thought while rubbing the whisker-like marks. '_Why?_'

'**An experiment of sorts,**' it truthfully answered. '**You have had to live with the adults of this village and their constant looks of hatred for your entire life.**' The young man drooped his head down in remembrance. '**Your appearance has slightly altered from what it used to be and you are wearing different clothing. If you cover your…birthmarks…I think it may be possible for you to walk around with others not readily knowing who you are.**' After a brief moment it added, '**You might also desire to place a Henge no Jutsu to alter your eye color back to its original state. Violet eyes do tend to stand out more than cerulean ones.**' With an excited gleam in his eyes, Naruto did the hand sign of the O-hitsuji and focused his chakra and in a puff of smoke, he emerged looking exactly the same only minus the whisker marks on his cheeks and his eyes the bright blue they originally were before the merging. '**Well done,**' the fox spirit replied. '**Now we may enter the village and you may eat to your heart's content.**'

"Alright! Ramen here I come!" Naruto cheered as he rushed off towards his favorite ramen spot for a much needed ramen fix. The young genin arrived much faster than normal due to his enhanced speed…much to his pleasure. In his book, the faster he could get to his ramen meant he could spend extra time eating more and more of it and that was a good thing…a very good thing.

He was just about to enter Ichiraku, the young genin's favorite ramen shop and home to the best ramen in Konoha, when his nose suddenly caught a familiar scent…one he remembered smelling earlier. '_Hmm…_' he thought, '_that's definitely not Sakura…but whoever it is does smell kind of nice._'

The nine-tailed demon fox caught the scent the boy was currently fixated upon and smiled, instantly knowing who it was and supremely happy at the girl's wonderful timing. '**You should remember that scent child since you were sitting next to her earlier this day.**'

"Hinata-san?" he muttered under his breath as he turned around only to come face-to-face with the shy kunoichi.

"O-Oh!" she responded as she saw who was in front of her, a cute blush spreading across her face. "He-hello Naruto-kun." She looked away and begun to poke her two index fingers together.

"Hi there Hinata-san," he greeted in return. "What are you up to?"

"I-I was just going for a walk." A small smile formed on her face as she realized that she's alone with her crush at the current moment. Granted they were in the middle of town with random people walking to and fro…but to the young Hyuuga, they were currently more alone together than they have ever been before. She took a quick peek up at his face and her smile faded slightly at what she saw. "N-Naruto-kun," she slowly began, "what happened…wh-where are your birthmarks on y-your cheeks?" the young genin reached up and gently touched the Uzamaki boy's cheek where she felt the three whisker-like marks but could not see them. When she realized what she was doing her face, Hinata's face flushed a brilliant crimson and she was about to hastily remove her hand when it was quickly, yet gently halted by Naruto.

A brief look of pain passed through the young man's eyes as memories of the past coursed through his mind. He quickly regained himself and replied, "I covered them with a Henge no Jutsu. I…I just wanted to try something new," he softly replied, looking, really looking into her lilac eyes. '_Wow,_' he thought to himself, '_even though she's got no pupils and that's a little creepy…her eyes are kinda pretty._' The Kyuubi inside of him wisely choose to be silent and let things run its course, though it was smiling quite widely. The young man realized he was holding her hand and promptly let go, his face reddening as much as hers. "S-Sorry," he muttered while rubbing the back of his head.

Hinata looked away as well, a happy smile on her face at being touched by her big crush. "I-It's okay," she replied while pushing her index fingers together again. "I didn't m-mind."

An awkward silence passed between the two for a few moments before Naruto finally said, "You know Hinata, I was…planning on getting a bite to eat at Ichiraku's…but I hate eating by myself all the time and I wouldn't mind a little company…" he paused and the young Hyuuga heiress looked up at the shinobi in surprise, hoping he is doing what she thinks he is, "…so if you don't mind…would you like to get some ramen with me?" The quiet kunoichi nodded with a shy smile. With a large smile the vessel to the dreaded nine-tailed demon fox grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. "Great! You'll love it here Hinata-san, they've got the best ramen in this entire village!"

The young woman let out a much larger smile than she had ever shown before as she was led into the ramen shop.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Translations**:

_O-hitsuji_: Ram

* * *

**Author's notes**: Hello again dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and the little extra length to it. I dunno but I'm feeling something off about this chapter for some reason. I'm not too sure what it is but something about it just doesn't hit me as being quite right. If you can find out what, please let me know and I'll immediately make appropriate changes.

I was planning on going off a little differently near the end but I decided to add the part with Hinata in to give the end a bit of a cute factor. Trust me, things will get more violent soon enough. I plan to have Naruto and Hinata talk a tiny bit in the beginning of the next chapter then move on to the 'Survival Exercises' with Kakashi-sensei. Heh, that's gonna be fun! – _lighthawkdemon_

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: **lighthawkdemon** (at) **Y!**


	4. Meeting the Demon

**Naruto**

_Disclaimer: This episode of Naruto is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Naruto. "Naruto" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1999-2007 Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc. Naruto is a trademark of Viz Media LLC. All rights reserved._

_Note: This series contains content from both the manga and the anime and takes place shortly after the very first chapter/episode of Naruto and will have our main protagonist acting a bit OOC for the rest of the series. Read to discover how and why._

**The Demon Within  
Number 4:  
Meeting the Demon**

'_Naruto's thoughts_'

'**The Kyuubi's thoughts**'

'INNER SAKURA'S THOUGHTS'

Naruto was, for the first time he could recall, enjoying a nice meal at Ichiraku's Ramen with someone other than Iruka-sensei. Granted his favorite chûnin instructor was a lot more open and talkative than Hyuuga Hinata, but company was company in the young shinobi's eyes and he'd take it. Also for some odd reason his 'Sensei' inside of him had been unusually quiet throughout the entire meal. '_What's wrong Sensei?_' he asked, his curiosity finally having reached its peak. '_Why are you so quiet right now?_'

'**I was merely being respectful to you child,**' the Kyuubi calmly replied. '**I had figured you would have enjoyed some solitude whilst on your date with the Hyuuga child.**'

The fox demon's jailor felt his face redden in embarrassment. '_D-D-Date!?_' he mentally sputtered, '_I'm not on a date with Hinata-chan!_' His eyes widened slightly as he realized what he just said.

Unluckily for Naruto, his Sensei of course caught the boy's slip and let out a deep rumbling chuckle. '**_Hinata-chan_ now is it? I had thought that was a term you had only used for the Haruno girl. I believe you are being dishonest with yourself young cub. You obviously have some level of interest in the future heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Remember that to date I recollect absolutely no females ever willingly doing anything with you…ever…**'

'_So?_' The young man cut in while he ground his teeth in agitation. '_I already know that Sensei!_'

'**Calm down pup,**' the Kyuubi growled, '**I was about to get to my point before you so rudely interrupted me. I will not tolerate insolence so if you still desire my knowledge for your enhancement in training, you would be wise to show some respect.**'

The recently graduated genin tensed up in nervousness. '_Yes Sensei,_' he thought, '_sorry Sensei._'

The nine-tailed fox spirit nodded. '**Your apology is accepted though I should not be your primary concern. Your young date has been staring at you for several minutes now.**'

Naruto realized that he was gazing off into space without touching his ramen (a horrendous crime unto itself) while talking to the great sealed demon. He looked over at Hinata, who quickly glanced away with a pretty blush adorning her cheeks. "So…" he slowly began to break the silence, "how do you like your team Hinata-ch…san?" He mentally kicked himself for almost letting the more personal honorific slip out while he both felt and heard his Sensei's rumbling chuckle once more. "You're stuck with the quiet boy and dog-breath right?" He quickly added to possibly cover-up his accidental slip of tongue.

The Hyuuga girl, though, caught the original endearment he was about to say before correcting himself. She responded by repeatedly pushing her index fingers together and staring at them with a deeper flush than she already had, internally very pleased that the young shinobi was about to call her in such a personal way. "Y-Yes…" she slowly stammered out, "but Sh-Shino and Kiba are… they are very n-nice…once you get to kn-know them."

The young jinchuuriki shrugged his shoulders and muttered, "If you say so," under his breath before grabbing his bowl and finishing its entire contents in a noisy gulp. After putting the bowl back onto the table he nodded towards the owner who took the empty bowl and proceeded to make a new one for his best customer. "So who do you have for your instructor?"

"Y-Yuuhi Kurenai-sensei," Hinata answered with a light smile. "She…she's v-very nice and is a v-very skilled…kunoichi." Inside, the young woman had been in a constant state of pure elation on being in what could be defined at a date with her longtime crush, despite the fact that her jitters hadn't faded one bit as well as her reddened face. She was immensely proud of herself for not fainting yet…though with all the blood rushing up to her face on her continued blush that could still possibly happen soon enough and ruin her 'date'.

The blonde haired genin nodded again while his unwilling prisoner kept silent and observant, storing away the name of the Hyuuga child's jônin instructor for future reference. Suddenly old man Ichiraku placed a fresh, steaming bowl of ramen in front of his best customer and with a large smile Naruto proceeded to dig into his bowl of heaven without fail. After a few moments he backed up and looked back at Hinata, whom he noticed was staring at him again with a strange look in her eyes. Something about that look caused his cheeks to redden a few shades and the collar of his shirt to become a little tight. "So…um…uh…m-my instructor is Hatake Kakashi-sensei," he replied in a manner that was more fitting for his dinner companion than his usual carefree way.

The shy young kunoichi's eyes widened slightly, remembering her father mentioning the infamous shinobi once in passing and some of his remarkable accomplishments. "Wh-what is he like?" she asked in curiosity.

Naruto paused in between bites, sat straight up and rubbed his chin with his eyes closed. "Hmmm…" he began, "well we didn't actually get to know a lot about him when we first met. He was a couple of hours late when he came to get us and he seemed kinda boring…but I knew there was a lot more to him than he showed." With a shrug, the demon vessel finished his bowl of ramen and patted his stomach happily. "Well I'm done! Its not too late so you wanna go for a walk or something?" He tossed some money onto the counter and, without waiting for a response, hopped off of his seat and began to walk away with his hands resting on the back of his head.

Hinata looked startled at her 'secret' crush's desire to spend more time with her. She looked over and the ramen stand owner and his young daughter, both of who smiled cheerfully at the girl and gestured for her to follow their favorite customer. With a renewed blush, the Hyuuga heiress nodded and quickly got off of her seat to follow the young blond haired Konoha-nin.

* * *

A short while later the two genin were walking down the road in relative silence. Because of the now later hour their walk was met with even more silence all around them. The chirping insects and occasional lights from houses on each side of them set a peaceful, even somewhat romantic environment. Naruto had his hands still clasped together on the back of his neck while Hinata walked alongside him in a stance the young number one hyperactive ninja was quite accustomed to…drooping posture, shuffling feet, playing with her fingers, red cheeks and of course, an almost complete aversion at looking directly at him.

'_I don't get it,_' he thought with a frown. '_Why is Hinata-cha…er…_san _always like this? I was hoping that maybe she wouldn't act so shy if we ate some ramen together…maybe even get her to smile a bit more._' His mind wandered back to when he was pulling her towards Ichiraku's Ramen earlier and he caught her smile out of the corner of his eye. The jinchuuriki had to admit that she did have a cute smile… '_Though nowhere near as cute as Sakura-chan's smile!_' he mentally finished with a smirk. His smirk faded as his eyes rested once again on his current walking companion. '_What's her deal?_' He both heard and felt his 'Sensei' chuckling inside of him once more. '_What's so funny Sensei?_'

'**I am finding amusement in many things this current moment,**' the long feared demon fox replied, '**the most prominent of them being your youthful naiveté.**'

Naruto resisted the urge to scratch his head in confusion. '_Nava…naiv…na-what's that mean?_' He frowned as the Kyuubi replied with another chuckle. '_Why do you keep laughing at me?_'

Trapped in a cage deep within the blonde haired shinobi's psyche, the nine-tailed fox spirit shook its immense head. '**You will discover in due time kit, but for now I suggest attempting to converse with the Hyuuga child. We will continue this conversation later.**'

The young number one loudmouth Konoha-nin sighed slightly before turning towards Hinata. "So," he slowly began, "it was nice hanging with you tonight Hinata-san." His shy companion nodded slightly in response. "Maybe…maybe we can do this again when we're both not out doing super cool ninja missions."

Hinata felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest at how strongly it was beating. "D-do you re-really m-mean it N-Naruto-kun?" She mentally cursed her stutter for attacking her full force at such an important time. "You…you really want t-to spend mo…more time…with m-me?"

The Uzumaki lad looked over at his cute young companion and smiled at her…and not one of his fake smiles he has shown to others for years, but a genuine, happy smile. "Of course! I used to think you were a little dark and plain and timid…and kinda weird…" he paused and his companion's shoulders visibly slumped as a heavy bout of depression started to hit her before the young shinobi continued, "…but after hanging with you I can tell you're not any of those." As Hinata's eyes widened, he continued, "You are a little shy, but I think I can really like someone like you Hinata-chan!"

The young Hyuuga heiress looked up into Naruto's eyes in shock, for once in her life being too stunned to even blush. Before she even knew what she was doing, her body acted on autopilot and she leaned up and quickly pecked the violet eyed troublemaker on his cheek. She hurriedly turned around so her now beet red face wouldn't be visible. "I…I would r-really like that…Naruto-k-kun," the Hyuuga heiress replied in a barely audible voice before rushing away, leaving a stunned and blushing young man in her wake.

* * *

Hinata reached the Hyuuga compound rather quickly considering her body was still moving on autopilot while her mind wandered back to her little date with her longtime crush. She nodded absentmindedly at the guards she passed while thinking, 'I can't believe I was on an actual date with Naruto-kun!' She continued on inside down the hallways and past the training dojo area where her father was currently in the middle of training her younger sister Hanabi. 'I can't believe he enjoyed being with me and said such nice things about me!' The young kunoichi reached her room and quickly entered and shut the door behind her. 'I can't believe he wants to spend more time with me and then I kissed him…on…the…' Hinata's mind finally caught up with her as she realized her final actions towards the young hyperactive Konoha-nin. 'I…I kissed him?!' her mind shrieked in surprise. 'I-I kissed Naruto-kun?! I…I…' with a furious blush and a look of pure shock on her face, the Hyuuga heiress finally succumbed to her jitters and quickly collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

In just a few minutes Naruto returned to the area where in the next morning cell seven will have their 'survival exercises'. While looking around he absentmindedly touched the spot on his cheek where Hinata kissed him just a short while ago. '_Man_,' he thought, '_I can't believe she kissed me!_' He paused to chuckle nervously with his hand over his mouth. '_Her lips are really soft!_'

'**Are you that surprised at her actions kit?**' The Kyuubi calmly responded. '**That young girl does carry strong feelings for you, feelings that are on par with those that you hold for the temperamental Haruno child…perhaps even stronger. I am quite certain she has harbored these feelings for quite some time now.**' It let out a deep, reverberating chuckle at its host's dumbfounded reaction. '**Yes, if you had bothered to let your eyes wander beyond that pink haired kunoichi it would have been obvious of the interest '_Hinata-chan'_ held in you.**'

"I…I never knew," he muttered out loud. A sour feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. '_Oh man,_' he thought, '_I feel like such a jerk! All this time and I just ignored her!_' He sat down on the ground and brooded for a few minutes over his ignorance of the Hyuuga girl's feelings towards him. A goofy grin soon replaced his light scowl as he felt his cheek again. "Hehe, I still can't believe how soft Hinata-chan's lips are! I wonder if all girls' lips are that soft too."

The young shinobi's true sensei sighed at his youthful jailor's immaturity at such a simple showing of human affection but quickly shook it aside. The great demon knew that the child grew up with very little positive human contact, the majority of the village having shunned him for it being inside of him. The most feared creature in all history snorted at the stupidity of all the humans around him. It noticed that while a single human may be smart, gather them into a group and their intelligence declines almost as rapidly as their better judgment…while their tendencies towards violence increase dramatically.

Did they really think it wise to show hostility and bitterness towards a mere child who contained enough power inside of him to completely run the village and all its inhabitants asunder? They would regret their foolish decision soon enough when it made the child strong enough to repay all their kindness to him…in blood.

The Kyuubi pulled itself out of its happy thoughts to bring itself back to matters at hand. '**Kit,** **the time has come for what now will be an important part of your daily routine.**'

Naruto quickly snapped to attention and sat still. '_Okay Sensei_,' he thought, '_I'm ready._'

'**Good. The next step to further your training will be rather simple.**' It paused for a moment to smirk inside its cage. '**As of this day forth, you will no longer sleep.**'

"WHAT?!" the young man shouted out loud while leaping to his feet. "Not…sleep? H-How can I not sleep?!"

'**It would be a rather simple task to follow,**' the great beast calmly replied. '**Sit down with your legs crossed and place your hands facing palm side up on your knees.**' It waited for Naruto to comply before continuing, '**Now you shall close your eyes and relax both your body and mind. Instead of slumbering you will now go into a meditative trance. Whilst in this trance your mind will wander in a limbo state and I shall pull it down to where I reside inside of you young cub. With our minds theoretically so close to one another it will also increase the rate at which our chakra merge together. This will also give us an opportunity to…be acquainted with one another in a more personal manner. Your body will be in a type of light slumber that will allow you to regain your energy as if you were slumbering naturally.**'

The young shinobi nodded thoughtfully while digesting all the new information he was told…though he was still frustrated at his Sensei for constantly using bigger words he didn't really understand too well. He took a deep breath and did as his Sensei asked and after a few minutes of this he felt his heartbeat slow down to a steady pace. After a few more minutes he felt an unfamiliar tug pull at his mind. With a light mental frown and shrug, Naruto allowed his mind to be pulled away further into his subconscious. Soon instead of the calming sounds of nature around him he heard the echoing sounds of water dripping.

After another few moments the young hyperactive nin's patience wore thin and he opened his eyes and was startled to find himself in a dank hallway of sorts. The yellowing walls reeked of age and many doorways were open on each side of him. There were assorted pipes lining the ceiling with a few on the walls with some dripping water onto the floor…the floor that was filled with water up to his ankles. The shinobi lifted his right leg and shook it once before placing it back into the water with a light sigh escaping his lips. He looked back the strange and unknown surroundings. All in all, it looked like he woke up in a sewer of sorts. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was when a deep booming voice called out, '**I am here child,**' from a doorway a little behind him. '**Follow my voice and you shall reach my prison and…lair.**'

Naruto did what his Sensei asked and soon found himself standing in front of an enormous gate. He whistled out, '_Whoa…this thing's huge!_' as he looked the gate up and down. His eyebrow quirked up at a small piece of paper with the kanji for 'seal' connecting both gate doors together, as if the single small piece of paper was all that held the gate together. '_Weird,_' he muttered. His eyes widened as he saw a gigantic shape move from behind the bars of the gate. He stumbled back at two enormous crimson eyes opened up directly in front of him and stared right at the golden haired boy. '_S-S-Sensei?!_' the Konoha-nin stuttered out.

At its jailor's startled expression the gigantic caged beast let out a deep rumbling chuckle that shook the entire area around it, knocking the Uzumaki lad down into the water. '**Yes kit,**' it replied before lifting its head off of the floor to show itself off in its full glory. It was then that Naruto realized why almost all the adults hated him and nobody aside from the old man and recently Iruka-sensei wanted to get close to him. The creature before him looked very little compared to how it had showed itself to him in his mind a day or so ago. It was a lot bigger than the little fox he talked to…gigantic…no…_enormous_…no…enormous didn't even begin to describe the great beast before him. Standing up on all four legs, it was easily taller than any structure in Konoha aside from the Hokage monument carved into the mountainside. Its thick fur was all red…as if it was completely soaked with blood. Nine long tails that were each longer than the rest of its body swished lazily behind it. Its deep red eyes and large, ferocious looking teeth gave of a sense of extreme danger. Strange dark marks were on each side of its face, one above and below the beginning of its massive jaws that connected into a sideways 'V' shape. Naruto wasn't too sure but by being this close to his Sensei he felt…well it was more like he wanted to be anywhere else besides his current position.

The nine-tailed demon fox, after giving its unwilling jailor a good view of just what had been trapped inside of him all this time, lowered itself so its massive head way lying on the ground, its crimson eyes fixed once again on the golden haired child. '**So young cub, what do you think?**' it calmly asked, feeling a bit of a rush at the fear in the boy's eyes. Oh how it missed that look, and how it would enjoy seeing it so much more very soon.

Naruto nervously adjusted the color of his shirt for a moment before replying, '_Well Sensei I…uh…you're a lot…um…bigger than I thought you were._'

The Kyuubi nodded. '**True. I purposely altered my image when I introduced myself to you two days ago.**'

'_Why?_' the young genin asked with a hint of an edge to his voice, his previous fear of becoming a gigantic fox's new chew toy starting to fade away. '_Why'd you lie to me?_'

The most powerful biju held in a sigh and calmly answered, '**Would you have been as willing to accept my help if I had shown myself to you as I am?**'

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. '_I-I guess you got a point there, but could you…uh…you know…make yourself look like you did when you first showed yourself to me?_' He looked up at the great demon with a hopeful expression. '_It's just…well you're kinda making me nervous right now Sensei._'

The nine-tailed fox spirit let out a deep sigh and in the blink of an eye transformed into a slightly larger than normal orange fox with nine tails. '**Is this more to your liking child?**' At it's host's enthusiastic nod, it continued, '**Good. Now look down into the water and tell me what it is you notice.**'

The Konoha shinobi did and his eyes widened as he noticed what looked like a pool of red liquid coming from his Sensei and moving towards him. As it made contact, the red liquid circled his entire body and Naruto felt a strange tingling sensation start down at his feet and slowly work its was up his body. '_Ah…ah!_' he stammered out. '_W-What is this stuff? What's going on?_'

'**Be calm young cub. What you see is my chakra and what you feel is it entering your body at a slow, steady pace. I am sure you are currently feeling a little off and that is your chakra coils strengthening to accompany the increase in the chakra your body is able to hold and use at a time. Try to ignore the sensation for I wish to converse with you.**'

'_Uh…sure thing Sensei. What do you want to talk about?_'

The Kyuubi sat down and stared its jailor directly in the eyes. '**I wish to discuss what will be your daily training regime from now on as well as some of the advanced jutsu I shall teach you when you have mastered your chakra control.**' It smirked as the boy's current smile grew incredibly wide at the mention of advanced jutsu. '**Yes, I have existed on this world for a long time and have learned many jutsu, some of which have been forgotten and would make you the only one to know and use them.**' The great beast nodded at its proper wording to keep the boy's interest peaked. What it didn't tell Naruto was that it gained all its knowledge about proper chakra control techniques and assorted jutsu and how to use them from all the nin it has devoured throughout its vast lifetime. It had never had the need to use any such information before but it was thankful for it's near photographic memory. Currently it was feeling a strange sense of anticipation at teaching and guiding the little mortal all that it has learned.

Konoha's most hyperactive and surprising nin rubbed his hands together in anticipation with a foxy grin. '_I'm ready to learn Sensei,_' he replied after calming down slightly. He suddenly got a contemplative look on his face. '_You know…I really don't know much about you. I know they taught about you in the academy but…well…I kinda…dozed off. I-I mean I kinda did that a lot during those boring history lessons._'

The nine-tails nodded slightly. '**Understandable child. I suppose I should start from the beginning.**' It paused to collect itself slightly. '**Like I have told you before I do not have a name but I was bestowed a title amongst the other biju.**'

'_Biju? What's a biju?_'

'**Ah yes,**' it muttered. '**Biju is the term used to describe a colossal tailed beast like myself. There are a total of nine biju and our tails are a representation of power…the one-tail being the weakest of us, and the nine-tails, namely myself, being the strongest. The title I was given is the Kyuubi no Kitsune.**'

* * *

Unbeknownst to Naruto while he conversed with the demon trapped inside of him, the Kyuubi was only keeping its host occupied while part of its spirit pushed itself out of the child's unconscious and into his physical body…taking control. With the boy distracted it made such a feat even easier. This was an added benefit of both the chakra merging and their two psyches being so close…a benefit it would most assuredly keep from the boy. Though it was not true freedom since if its host discovered this he could take back control of his body, it would take any chance to taste freedom, even if only for a short while.

Slowly, the nine-tailed fox spirit opened Naruto's eyes, taking its first true look at the outside world in nearly thirteen years. It calmly looked around, letting the rest of the nin's newly enhanced senses take in everything around it. A malevolent smirk unbecoming of the normally cheerful boy spread across his face while his eyes glowed crimson…his pupils now nothing more than slits. After a few moments of looking around 'Naruto' closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of nature all around him. "**At last,**" he growled out in a strange mixture of the demon's and his own voice, "**freedom!**"

He placed his hands on the ground and started to push his body up…but couldn't. With a frown the Kyuubi tried again, this time putting all its strength into it. After a moments struggle, the demon managed to push the nin's body up to his feet. "**Hmm,**" it mused out loud while looking down at the tiny, in its opinion, body of its host, "**his body is not quite attuned enough yet to my chakra. That will change soon enough. I can feel my chakra slowly seeping into this body. By the end of our chakra merging this child should be powerful enough to sustain my taking control and having complete motor functioning for a much more extended period.**" Seeing how much effort it had to put out just to stand, it didn't want to attempt walking around. Though it could not move around freely it would still enjoy its newfound freedom while it lasted.

After a few minutes of calm silence, the great biju had a sudden thought and raised its host's shirt up, exposing his stomach and the seal that is keeping it inside the child. It focused some of its chakra over the seal for a couple of minutes and the frown on Naruto's face deepened at what it discovered. "**Curse you, you damned Yondaime,**" it spat out. "**I had not expected this. That jutsu…you have successfully found a way to contain me, the great Kyuubi no Kitsune.**" It sat the young shinobi's body back onto the ground with a loud sigh. "**I had not foreseen this major setback.**" It gazed over at the Hokage monument at the stone carving of the mortal that had begrudgingly earned its respect. "**You may have prevented me from freeing myself from this weak, wretched mortal body but I will take great pleasure in twisting your son to my bidding and make him fulfill my darkest desires!**" With a dark chuckle it moved Naruto's body back into a meditative position and closed the child's eyes, the part of its spirit returning with the other part still conversing with its host.

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For the next few hours the Kyuubi gave Konoha's number one most unpredictable shinobi an extremely toned down version of its life. When it had to mention peoples' deaths it described them as 'accidents' or 'unfortunate necessities' and all around made itself seem like a misunderstood, caring creature instead of the ruthless, bloodthirsty beast it actually was. What made it all the more amusing was the child ate up every word and held it as the truth, himself also feeling misunderstood by his entire village.

The nine-tailed demon fox pushed part of its spirit back into Naruto's physical body and before it opened the boy's eyes it could hear the sounds of some people nearby. It slowly sniffed the air and moved back to its 'lair'. "**Young cub,**" it calmly said, "**our time here has come at an end.**" At his confused look, it elaborated, "**It is currently morning and your two teammates have arrived.**" In the blink of an eye, the Kyuubi reverted back to its normal size, startling its jailor slightly. "**Go back to the conscious world and pass your test. I am fatigued and need rest.**" It spun in a circle and laid onto the floor, its tails curled up around its massive body as the great beast went to sleep.

Naruto looked around, unsure how exactly to wake himself up. With a light shrug, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the one thing in this world that always motivated him to get up and about…a big, steaming bowl of ramen. Within a moment his eyes snapped open and, just as his true Sensei said, the sun was up, Sasuke was to his right looking all calm and cool with his arms folded across his chest and Sakura was bending down in front of him with their faces only about a foot apart. The pink haired kunoichi gave a start at his sudden return to the conscious world and stumbled back a few steps. The stoic Uchiha briefly glanced over at the awakened shinobi, his look of quiet indifference never changing in the slightest.

"Good morning Sakura-chan," the Kyuubi's unwilling jailor greeted with his trademark wide smile. He rubbed the back of his head with a slight chuckle. "Sorry if I scared you, I guess I got a little too into meditating." He stood up and begun to stretch out his stiff body.

As he stretched, Sakura couldn't help but notice something being…off about her shorter teammate. Yesterday she just thought it was a change of wardrobe that had made him look different but up this close, she could notice the subtle changes in not only his taste of clothing, but in his physical appearance as well.

He was still a bit of a runt but now he didn't seem as…runtish as he used to. 'Maybe he had a growth spurt,' she thought to herself with a mental shrug, 'and those weird whisker marks of his look…deeper than I remembered.' While Konoha's number one hyperactive nin continued to stretch in different positions, Sakura continued her observation of him. 'Hey…his ears are kind pointy…that looks…different.' When Naruto turned to look her in the eyes with a smile, the kunoichi felt her own widen in surprise. 'Purple eyes?! Since when did Naruto have purple eyes?! I always thought they were blue! But…well…I mean it's not like I really paid a lot of attention to him any way…' the pink haired nin added, 'especially with Sasuke-kun around!' She looked at Konoha's last remaining Uchiha and felt her face redden as a pleasant warmth rushed throughout her body. 'Oh Sasuke-kun,' she thought, 'you're so dreamy!'

'OH YEAH!!' Inner Sakura instantly agreed, 'AND ONE DAY HE'LL BE OURS!!'

Naruto finished stretching and looked over to the east where the sun should just be starting to rise…only it wasn't there. With a frown he slowly tilted his head up until finally he found the sun…nearly a quarter of the way up the sky. "Uh," he muttered out loud, "what time is it?"

Sakura shook herself out of her little daydream and frowned over at her teammate. "Its almost nine. Kakashi-sensei is late…_again_!" Her frown faded as she looked at the blond with a quirked up eyebrow. "You don't really look like the meditating type Naruto."

The current year's dead last at the ninja academy shrugged his shoulders. "I just felt like a change Sakura-chan," he said while tilting his head to the side and letting out a small smile.

The Haruno girl had to quickly turn around to hide the light pinkish hue that had adorned her cheeks. She didn't know why, but suddenly Naruto looked…he looked really…cute. 'Nonono!' she mentally shouted, 'Naruto is in no way, shape and form any degree of cute! He's loud, annoying and the complete opposite of Sasuke-kun! I-I-I'm just hungry…that's all!'

Inner Sakura nodded furiously in agreement. 'THAT'S RIGHT!! YOU DIDN'T EAT DINNER LAST NIGHT OR BREAKFAST THIS MORNING SO YOU'RE JUST THINKIN' CRAZY GIRL!! NARUTO'S A DUNCE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!' Both Sakuras' nod lightly, the last thought ending the discussion once and for all.

Before Naruto could question his pink haired crush's odd reaction all three genin noticed their jônin sensei finally arrive. "Yo," he calmly greeted with a raised hand.

"You're late!!!!" Sakura and Naruto shouted while Sasuke continued to keep his arms folded across his chest with a loot of indifference.

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled as he smirked under his mask. 'Oh,' he thought, 'this is going to be fun.'

**To be continued…**

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**Author's notes**: Hello there everyone! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. I had most parts finished ages ago but I was having trouble with the parts there the Kyuubi conversed with Naruto and when it took over our favorite blonde haired jinchuuriki. I tried to keep things going at a steady, believable pace but if something seemed off, please feel free to let me know and I'll make changes where necessary.

For fans of my other fics, please be steadfast as all of you wonderful people have been and I'll continue to update the best I can. – _lighthawkdemon_

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: **lighthawkdemon**(at)**Y!**


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